Instead of staying within the confines of God’s Word, the Postmodern Prophecy Paradigm (PPP) authors, such as Tom Horn and Cris Putnam, engage in “unleashed mystical imaginations, unrestrained surmisings, and spiritual conjectures”[17] —a result of veering sharply away from the Scripture alone. We briefly profiled their use of mysticism in Part 1, and also in an earlier article titled “Quantum Mysticism Goes to Market.” Below are some examples of their use of mystical and occult sources for their new prophecy paradigm:

...Tom Horn’s current 528-page book, Petrus Romanus: the Final Pope is Here (co-authored by Cris Putnam),... reveals “secrets” from Roman Catholic sources regarding “hidden knowledge” concerning the end times. Here is some of what the book’s website says about the book’s contents. Note that besides the “cryptic” language, the year 2012 continues to be a recurring theme:

ONE SECRET SO SERIOUS we can’t even hint at it until the book is released

REVEALED! THE SECRET FRENCH CODEX written by a Jesuit Mathematician over 60 year ago that determined his arrival in the year 2012

FOUND! THE ANCIENT MYSTERIOUS LOST BOOK that John Hogue (The Last Pope) said was gone forever…

FROM MANNING TO MALACHI—Catholic seers who warned of his coming…and died under mysterious circumstances.

THE CRYPTIC 2012 POEM: When the Pope walks over dead bodies of priests…

THE SECRET IN THE US CAPITAL [sic] AND AT THE VATICAN tied to Mesoamerican 2012 and the coming of the Dragon…[18]

Not one of the mysterious “secrets” alluded to above is found in the Bible, nor do the authors even mention God’s Word as its source. Rather, their incredible revelations are derived from “a Jesuit Mathematician,” an “ancient mysterious lost book,” “Catholic seers” (i.e., ‘false prophets’), a “cryptic 2012 poem,” “the 4th Secret of Fatima” (i.e., prophecy from an entity posing as Jesus’ mother), “uncanny (Catholic) mystics,” 2012 prophecies from the “Maya, Aztec, Zohar, Hindu, Catholic, Masonic, Rosicrucian, American Indian and many more,” and secret architectural codes and symbols hidden in “the U.S. Capitol and the Vatican.” Yet, despite these multiple unbiblical sources of spiritual information used throughout their book, Horn and Putnam affirm their devotion to the Scripture and orthodox Christianity. The result of adding pagan myths to Scripture is an unholy mixture: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14)

These men are also adding extrabiblical revelation, including Roman Catholic prophecies and visions, to their ever-evolving eschatology. Below is titillating excerpt from the back cover of Petrus Romanus that adds outside prophetic source material to the Bible's book of Revelation:

For more than 800 years Catholic and Evangelical scholars have pointed to the dark augury having to do with “the last Pope.” The prophecy, taken from St. Malachy’s “Prophecy of the Popes,” is among a list of verses predicting each of the Roman Catholic popes from Pope Celestine II to the final pope, “Peter the Roman,” whose reign heralds the beginning of “great apostasy” followed by “great tribulation.” According to this prophecy, which was hidden away in the Vatican for hundreds of years, the next Pope (following Pope Benedict XVI) will be the false prophet who leads the world’s religious communities into embracing the political leader known as Antichrist. Unfortunately, as readers will learn, time for avoiding Peter the Roman just ran out! [bold added]

How can anyone know such details—such as the identity of the False Prophet—when the Lord Jesus Christ has not revealed these things in His Word!? The Bible gives stern warning to those who would tamper with God’s revealed endtime prophecy (Rev. 22:18-19).

Nonetheless, Horn and Putnam seized upon the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and the subsequent election of Pope Francis (Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio), to sell even more copies of their Petrus Romanus,[19] a book that not only gives undo credibility to Marian apparitions, but also to a Roman Catholic mystical seer.

St. Malachy – Roman Catholic Seer (1094-1148)[20]

“SAINT” MALACHY
Who was this Roman Catholic prophet who reportedly received extrabiblical information concerning the endtimes—that inspired Horn & Putnam’s bestselling 2012 book? He was the first Irish Catholic clergyman to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church after “several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes” were attributed to his special abilities. Malachy’s “apocalyptic list” of popes, identifying the last pope of history (“Petrus Romanus” or “Peter the Roman”), became known as the Prophecy of the Popes.[21]

Non-Catholics may be unaware that, contrary to the Scripture, the Roman Catholic hierarchy exercises sole control over those permitted to be called “saints.” The road to sainthood in the Roman church is a long involved process which seldom results in canonization. Candidates for sainthood are chosen based upon a record of an outwardly pious life (works), documented miracles occurring posthumously (via the deceased candidate’s intercession from heaven), and human whim to initiate the process. Roman Catholic sainthood is only attained after physical death—sometimes hundreds of years after the candidate’s earthly departure.[22]

Pope Francis made history in April when he canonized two deceased popes—from our modern time—on the same day: John XXIII (within 50 years of his death), and John Paul II (within a decade of his death).[23]

John Paul II & John XXIII canonized together in April[24]

Once canonized, the “saint” is then venerated (“adored,” “hallowed,” “exalted”)[25] by the Roman Catholic faithful, and is believed to be interceding for the flock still on earth,[26] as well as for the souls supposedly sentenced to Purgatory. Catholics believe that Purgatory is a place of temporal punishment where one is purged of sins not paid for in this life, a teaching not found in Scripture.[27] This is a woefully futile process with no hope for the sinner in this life or the next! It is a false gospel that negates Christ’s full propitiation for man’s sin through His shed blood on the Cross (Rom. 3:25; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10) and gives glory and worship to the dead—adoration which belongs to God alone (Matt. 4:10; 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:17; Rev. 19:10; 22:8). The Scripture says that repentant sinners can know in this life whether or not they belong to the Lord (1 Jn. 5:13).

The Bible teaches that believers become saints of God the moment they repent of their sin and believe the true Gospel—the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-8). Christ died in our place so that we might enter into eternal fellowship with Him. “For he hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Jn. 1-10; 2:1-2). According to the Bible a saint is a believer in Christ; one who is set apart by God, for His service. It is most noteworthy that when the word saint appears in the Bible, it is almost exclusively used in the plural (“saints”)—highlighting the emphasis on the corporate Body of Christ. The Bible does not single out individuals to “venerate,” as Roman Catholicism does, because all the glory, honor, and worship belong to Christ alone (2 Pet. 1:17-18; Heb. 12:28; Rev. 4:11).

Malachy was declared “a saint” in the Roman Catholic sense and tradition by Pope Innocent II in the 12th century. Note that his famous cryptic vision (which contributed to his canonization) “remained unknown in the Vatican Archives for 440 years after Malachy’s death”:

Attributed to St. Malachy, an Irish archbishop canonized in 1190, the Prophecy of the Popes would date to 1139. The document predicted that there would be only 112 more popes before the Last Judgment — and Benedict XVI is 111. The list of popes originated from a vision Malachy said he received from God when he was in Rome, reporting on his diocese to Pope Innocent II. The story goes that St. Malachy gave the apocalyptic list to Innocent II and that the document remained unknown in the Vatican Archives some 440 years after Malachy’s death in 1148. It was rediscovered and published by Benedictine Arnold de Wyon in 1590.[29][bold, red added]

To accept this vision requires that one believes in the validity of the popes and their office! These PPP teachers are essentially agreeing with the Catholic mystics—who believe that God later added to His Word by giving visions to St. Malachy that effectually validated the office of the pope!**

These PPP leaders, through their current books and DVDs dealing with these Roman Catholic secret mysteries, have opened the proverbial floodgates to embrace other manifestations of Roman Catholic mysticism—other purported visions and mystical prophecies not found in the pages of Scripture, and even Catholic doctrines!

MYSTICAL CATHOLIC VISIONS & DOCTRINESLike the current crop of Emergent mystics and contemplative leaders, who are finding kinship with the early Catholic mystics and visionaries, the PPP teachers are eagerly dipping their toe into the same tainted mystical waters. We explored a few of their tendencies to borrow from Catholic mysticism in an earlier article “Quantum Teleporting through Time.” The PPP leaders' aberrant teachings about quantum time travel, astral projection, out-of-body experiences, and bi-location proved to be nearly identical to what Catholics teach about similar occult phenomena. We observed:

Using a 1912 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia, the article explains “mystical bilocation,” or the term used by Catholic clerics “circumscriptive replication”: circumscriptive replication—that is, the idea that a physical body can remain a single entity, but somehow miraculously be relieved of its spatial relationship to other bodies, objects and/or locations, thus allowing the person to appear to witnesses in multiple locations.

The “Venerable Mary of Agreda,” a cloistered 17th century mystic nun, apparently experienced “circumscriptive replication”—dimensional translocation—or bilocation. While never setting foot outside her Spanish abbey, it is claimed she mystically bilocated to the American Southwest (between 1620-1631) in order to spread the teachings of Roman Catholicism, appearing as a “Lady in Blue.” (Note: “The Lady in Blue,” was given national attention in 2004, during the production of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, because Gibson used the nun’s mystical writings on the life of the Catholic Mary to write his screenplay.)[30]

These mystical occult experiences and visions are not only unholy, but they are seductively deceptive. Those entertaining the labyrinthine teachings of such dark phenomena do so at their own peril. There should be grave concern about where these foreign ideas might end up as they are smuggled into the church in the guise of new insights into eschatology. Like leaven, this arcane knowledge is spreading rapidly throughout the church world today. Endtime prophetic mysticism is just one more entry point where Catholicism is affecting evangelical doctrine.

Besides the overt occult manifestations that often accompany the pursuit of such mystics and visionaries, is the perilous pathway—leading far away from the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving Gospel—that many will find themselves traveling. Note the doctrine that a Catholic website favorably teaches concerning “Mystics and Visionaries”:

Mystics and Visionaries as specially chosen souls have a variety of missions within the [Roman Catholic] Church such as:

they inspire devotions like the Sacred Heart [Marian devotions] and Divine Mercy devotions;

through their lives as victim souls they make reparation to God for the conversion of sinners, and remind us to make sacrifices and do penance;

they enlighten us concerning the evils of the world and reveal to us the horrors of sin.

through their sufferings willingly accepted and offered to God, they remind us of our call to participate in the redemption of all of humanity through the offering of our own sacrifices, and through our sufferings willingly accepted.[31][bold, red added]

The faulty idea that man can participate in eternal salvation through his own acts is a false gospel. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who suffered and died on the Cross—once—for the redemption of mankind (Heb. 10:10, 14). Christ is the only door to salvation (Jn. 10:7-9; Jn. 14:6). His sacrifice on behalf of sinners was both propitiatory and sufficient. God’s Word is enough. No mystic or visionary can “enlighten us” or “reveal the horrors of sin” like the Holy Spirit does—through God’s written Word. The following two verses from Scripture are very important to refute the Catholic doctrine that is coming into the evangelical church world:

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins,the just for the unjust,that He might bring us to God,being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit”(1 Pet. 3:18)

“For then must He [Christ] often have sufferedsince the foundation of the world:but now once in the end of the world hath He appearedto put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second timewithout sin unto salvation”(Heb. 9:26-28).

In light of all the things presented here, why then do these PPP authors mix the error of Roman Catholic mysticism with the infallible Word of God? Where will this unholy mixture ultimately lead? Will history repeat itself? There is. after all, a treacherous history of the Roman Church against true believers holding to Sola Scriptura.

It should be noted that not everyone believes St. Malachy’s mystical beliefs and extra-biblical apocalyptic visions. First, and pertinent to this discussion, is the unsavory historical fact that Pope Innocent II, the Pontiff who canonized Malachy, was a dominionist temporal ruler who defeated Anacletus II for the papal title through political maneuvering and force.[32] Both men were elected to the pontifical office by rival factions during the same period of time. Innocent II also used his church position to coerce earthly kings into submitting to his authority—ungodly actions that are diametrically opposed to God’s Word (1 Pet. 5:1-4).[33]

Second, the prophecies of St. Malachy have secular critics as well. From the webpage "Prophecy of Popes" we learn the following scholarly objections:

A "Prophecy of the Popes" is attributed to St. Malachy, which is claimed to predict that there would be only 112 more popes before the Last Judgment. The Prophesy was discovered and published by Benedictine Arnold de Wyon in 1590. Most scholars consider the document a 16th-century elaborate hoax. James Weiss, a professor of church history at Boston College has stated "It is widely thought ... given who the author was and his relationship, [that the prophecies] were published to establish the case for election of one particular cardinal." Dr. Thomas Groome, chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College, has a similar notion: "For myself – and even as a native Irishman – the 'Prophecies of St. Malachy' are a grand old fun tale that have about as much reliability as the morning horoscope". Thomas J. Reese, SJ, of Georgetown University, had only this to say: "St. Malachy's prophecy is nonsense."[endnotes removed]

The Truth about TraditionNoted discernment researcher, the late Ed Tarkowski, writing about the Lady of Fatima and Marian apparitions, delved into the history of the Catholic Church. Roman Catholics have adopted an equation that Scripture plus tradition equals truth. It looks like this:

Scripture + Tradition = Truth

This equation is precisely the formula these PPP teachers are utilizing. They are claiming that the traditions and visions of St. Malachy plus Scripture equals new revelations about endtime eschatology. Ed Tarkowski specifically warned against using this equation:

In discernment of spiritual matters, particularly those involving supernatural phenomena, great care must be taken that the standard for discernment is pure. If the standard is even slightly adulterated, resulting judgments are bound to be affected....

Judgment or discernment based on Scripture, the written, unchanging word of God, has a verifiable, truthful, strong foundation. Using the standard of Scripture alone, spiritual experiences, including apparitions, messages, and changes in conduct or lives, can be discerned by any number of Christians, in any place, in any century, with the same results. The circumstances of time and culture have little or no effect on the judgment. Discernment by Scripture plus tradition, however, may not always result in the same judgment. The Documents of Vatican II inform us that there is a development of tradition...***

But in discernment of spiritual experience, using Scripture plus tradition as the standard for judgment adulterates the purity of that verifiable, truthful and strong foundation of Scripture alone.[bold added]

*This prophecy (in Latin) was recorded in a Catholic e-newsletter, The Moynihan Letters, Feb. 18, 2013, which translated it into English: "Peter the Roman, who will nourish the sheep in many tribulations; when they are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the fearsome Judge will judge His people. The End."**The office of Pope was refuted during the Reformation. Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries (which has recently published many articles exposing the current evangelical trend back towards Rome) has helpfully provided us with the following pieces of documentation: 1) A Lutheran Confession from 1537 during the Council of Trent: http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/concord/web/smc-pope.html"In the first place, therefore, let us show from the [holy] Gospel that the Roman bishop is not by divine right above [cannot arrogate to himself any supremacy whatever over] other bishops and pastors."Luke 22, 25. Christ expressly prohibits lordship among the apostles [that no apostle should have any supremacy over the rest]. For this was the very question, namely, that when Christ spake of His passion, they were disputing who should be at the head, and as it were the vicar of the absent Christ. There Christ reproves this error of the apostles and teaches that there shall not be lordship or superiority among them, but that the apostles should be sent forth as equals to the common ministry of the Gospel. Accordingly, He says: The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors, but ye shall not be so; but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. The antithesis here shows [By holding these matters against one another one sees] that lordship [among the apostles] is disapproved."2) What Martin Luther said: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1535luther.asp"If the pope were the head of the Christian Church, then the Church were a monster with two heads, seeing that St. Paul says that Christ is her head. The pope may well be, and is, the head of the false Church." ***Ed Tarkowski, at this point in this article (Section 4), in his series on Fatima, cited the THE DOCUMENTS OF VATICAN II: All Sixteen Official Texts Promulgated by the Ecumenical Council 1963-1965, Translated From the Latin, gen. ed., Walter M. Abbot, S.J., trans. ed., Very Rev, Msgr. Joseph Gallagher (American Press, Association Press), Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation," specifically Art. 8, p. 116. Read here: http://www.velocity.net/~edju70/fat4.htm

See the bottom of Part 1 for a listing of prior articles in this ongoing series.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Canonizing Forbidden Texts & Visions

Part 1: Secrets of Fatima & Marian Apparitions

…the Prophecy of the Popes has a somewhat dubious origin and the Vatican has a demonstrable track record for forgery and revisionist history. Even so, we are presenting a critical analysis which reveals remarkable chance defying evidence to support the prophecy of pope’s accuracy….
~ Preface to Petrus Romanus: the FINAL Pope is Here[1]

In the pages of this book, you will be challenged by the assertion that the timing of a long-awaited event is about to crystallize before the unbelieving eyes of the world. Something of gigantic proportion is shifting in the landscape. Institutions worldwide are discovering that their foundations are turning to sand. Everything is changing…. One of those organizations, the world’s oldest continuing bureaucracy, the Roman Catholic Church, has reached a critical point… a crucial turn… that many among its ranks have quietly whispered about for centuries. The predicted time has arrived. Soon, as you read, you will find answers that have lain dormant for centuries. ~ Gary Stearman, Introduction to Petrus Romanus[2]

PETRUS ROMANUS: The FINAL Pope is Herereveals for the very first timeThe ‘Fourth’ Secret of Fatima and other suppressed Marian texts.…~ The back cover of Petrus Romanus

By Gaylene Goodroad

Catholic prayer booklet depicting the 1917 Marian apparition[3]

can·on·ize - transitive verb \’ka-nə-,nīz\ in the Roman Catholic Church: to officially give a dead person a special status as someone very holy : to declare (someone) to be a saint 1: to declare (a deceased person) an officially recognized saint 2: to make canonical 3: to sanction by ecclesiastical authority 4: to attribute authoritative sanction or approval to 5: to treat as illustrious, preeminent, or sacred[4]

ABANDONING SOLA SCRIPTURAOne of the most egregious earmarks of the Postmodern Prophecy Paradigm (PPP) evangelical leadership—indicative of each tenet of their exotic new eschatological teachings—is their tectonic shift away from Sola Scriptura. We have repeatedly addressed concerns about the PPP leaders' (“quantum collaborators”) use of extra-biblical illumination in their outlandish endtime scenarios. In the conclusion to our 9-part Quantum Mysticism series, we summarized the problem:

Scripture + “Sacred Writings” = Heresy

…Adding to Scripture is what is at issue here. The quantum collaborators teach that the End-Time prophecies of the book of Revelation (and elsewhere) can be supplemented and enhanced by other so-called “sacred writings” such as: apocryphal, pseudepigraphical and Gnostic writings; ancient mythologies, folklore and legends; astrological and zodiacal imagery; science fiction (UFOs, alien visitations, etc.); magical and alchemical writings; psychological (Jungian), anthropological, sociological and philosophical writings; scientific and pseudo-scientific theories; the writings of various mystics; oracles and ghost stories of spiritualism; the Mayan calendar; Masonic lore; secret code formulas; inspirational literature; modern speculative writings including fairy tales, poetry and fiction; and other quasi-spiritual sources.[5]

Mystical Roman Catholic false prophecies and occult visions can now be added to the long list of source material for these teachers' never-ending extrabiblical gleanings. These teachers are attempting to supplement endtimes prophecy with content not found in the Bible, thereby altering the plain Scripture to fit their increasingly fantastical eschatological myths. In our earlier article series “The Rise of End-Time Occultism,” in Part 7
titled “The Resurrection of Pagan Gods,” we documented that the PPP
teachers have ‘mixed the leaven of mythology into the dough of
prophecy’:

Stop
for a moment and think about what you just read. The sources for this
new interesting information come straight out of the occult! Notice the
tactic of taking a mythological account, or an ancient apocryphal book
like the Book of Enoch, and subtly trying to incorporate it into the
Scripture. The leaven of mythology is being mixed into the dough of
prophecy. Absolutely none of these sensationalized claims can be
supported by the truth of plain Scripture. These are heathen fables
being brought in to corrupt God’s Word and deceive followers. And yet
these teachers are asserting that their syncretic teachings are “new
truth” about the last days.[6]

ENTERTAINING MARIAN ‘SECRETS’The graphic image at the top of this post depicts the Marian apparition (visitation) that took place in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. The Fatima apparition purportedly gave three “secrets” to three young peasant children—Marian prophecies dealing with end-time events. The last “secret” was revealed to the world in 2000, which reportedly predicted the failed assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II.

With the three eyewitnesses (and original Vatican confidants) now dead, PPP authors Tom Horn and Cris Putnam (and others) now speculate that the Vatican (led by Pope Benedict XVI) was involved in a major cover-up to conceal the disturbing truth about the third revelation—which they insinuate involves the installment of the last pope of history, Petrus Romanus (a contention not found in Scripture). They refer to the hidden third prophecy as the “Fourth” Secret of Fatima.[7]

Book by Tom Horn and Cris Putnam

Why would any sound evangelical write such a book? Why bog down the minds of precious souls with forbidden prophecies that undermine the Scripture—and lure unsuspecting readers into Gnostic and mystical realms? Where is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in all of these dark, mysterious, and intriguing speculations concerning the endtimes? Unfortunately, the Good News is hopelessly snuffed out by these tantalizing “secret” messages from dubious other-worldly sources.

MEMORIES OF FATIMA As an ex-Catholic, these PPP writings have been the most burdensome to wade through—because I left Roman Catholic mysticism far behind when I became born from above in 1992. My parents adhered to the Tridentine variety of Roman Catholicism, with a twist of tribal mysticism from my Native American heritage.

Tridentine Catholics[8] prefer liturgical tradition prior to the second Vatican Council. Their practices hearken back to the medieval days of the Dark Ages, including a Latin Mass which is performed by priests in Roman Catholic regalia who display their backs the congregation during the entire ceremony. Not knowing Latin, my parents (and most of the flock) mimicked the somber rituals and hoped that something good might rub off on them.

Into this mystical spiritual vacuum, devoid of true Scriptural moorings, came several frightening occult experiences that haunted my young mind. One of my most vivid memories was being made to kiss the feet of the Our Lady of Fatima statue during a processional Mass in the 1960s. An ambassadorial entourage, sanctioned by the Vatican, was commissioned to travel around the world with the statue and a message urging world citizens to be consecrated to the Catholic Mary.

The wooden image, bedecked with precious stones and covered in cold, was carved in the likeness of the female entity that appeared to the famed peasant children in 1917. Many close family members believe that the Marian apparition itself commissioned the statue to specification which (in their eyes) justified its ‘veneration’ (kissing its feet) even more. Family witnesses and subsequent Polaroid photos revealed the statue’s apparent ability to change the positions of the ornate crown upon its head—a so-called verification of its authenticity. This inexplicable experience (among many others) was quite unsettling and scary to me as a young girl, and still is.

“Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female….”(Deuteronomy 4:15-16)

Family photo of the Fatima statue

“For they themselves shew of us what mannerof entering in we had unto you,and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God”(1 Thess. 1:9)

Six popes since 1917—from Pius XII to Francis—have determined the Fatima visions to be authentic and have perpetuated the Fatima processions and venerations, including the Marian entity’s request that the world be consecrated to her—and NOT to Christ. The late Pope John Paul II credited the entity of Fatima with saving his life from a would-be assassin’s bullet and even donated the bullet removed from his body to the Fatima Shrine in Spain.[9]

In direct opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for our sins, the Fatima apparition promised “to save souls from hell” and “to avert the annihilation of nations” if pilgrims around the world, en masse, devoted themselves to the Catholic Mary, including daily recitations of the Rosary—a Marian devotion.[10] That is why the Fatima image also has an ecumenical mission within the United Nations:

On October 13, 1952, the Bishop of Fatima blessed this image for its mission to the United Nations.

On December 8th, 1952, having been brought to America from Fatima, the statue was taken into the Meditation Room of the United Nations by Msgr. Harold Colgan, founder of the Blue Army now known as the World Apostolate of Fatima. It was at the United Nations that Monsigeur Colgan led the recitation of the Rosary. Since that time, the UN International Pilgrim Statue has been part of the World Apostolate of Fatima and its Dicastery.

This treasured replica of Our Lady of Fatima has traveled the globe.[11][bold added]

As a sobering footnote to this, the Fatima statue, on assignment to Asia, was trapped in the Philippines during the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda last November and was unable to complete its pilgrimage through the storm-ravaged region.[12]

The Fatima statue amid a sea of pilgrims during a candlelight vigil in 2007[13]

“Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image,neither rear you up a standing image,neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land,to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God”(Lev. 26:1)

In light of these very troubling examples of false image worship and blatant idolatry, why do Horn, Putnam, and other PPP leaders even hint that Fatima might hold any trustworthy information concerning endtime events? Why bring any attention to these false visions bearing false prophecies—unless they believe (or hope) them to be credible?

Fatima, unfortunately, is not the only Marian apparition examined by the PPP authors—in tandem with their wild conjectures concerning the last pope, on page 456 of Petrus Romanus the authors reveal yet another apparition prophecy supposedly given credibility via the approval of two popes:

Most people are probably unaware that in addition to the Secrets of Fatima, a second, most renowned Marian apparition from LaSalette, France, which was approved by Pius IX and Leo XIII, revealed analogous information about a crisis of faith that would transpire within Roman Catholicism in the last days, during which Rome would become the seat of the Antichrist. [bold added]

Again, the Bible is silent on these details—and Scripture warns repeatedly about seeking additional information through such extrabiblical and mystical sources. What God wanted us to know about the endtimes, He carefully recorded in His Word from Genesis to Revelation; the Canon of Scripture is closed for God’s purposes and for our own good. (Rev. 22:18)

GIVING CREDENCE TO CATHOLIC VISIONSHorn and Putnam give credence to Catholic visions, while at the same time debunking Catholicism. This is a clever tactic. They do present some useful research in Petrus Romanus, and spend two chapters taking a stand against Roman Catholic teachings.[14] On page 294, they even make this statement:

We love Catholic people and we want them to be set free from the bondage of that wicked, evil system. Many are blinded from the light of the true Gospel of grace by a sorcerous system and a heretical priesthood. We believe they are literally under the spell of a coven of sorcerers.

But if they believe that Catholics are “under a spell” and in “bondage” to the Romans Catholic system, why then do they revert back to false Roman Catholic visions and corrupted texts (mentioned above) for support—even relying on such things as a “60-year-old Jesuit codex predicting the arrival of Petrus Romanus in 2012” to pinpoint the identity of the False Prophet?[15] Like many other PPP leaders, these men speak out of both sides of their mouth. In the end, despite their caveats, they continue to entertain false prophecies, mythologies, visions, and other occult sources. They weave a highly imaginative tale which is very seducing, based on the imagery of these idolatrous fables.

If they indeed loved Catholics, these men would throw out these sensationally hyped speculations and extra-biblical gleanings and stand firm on the Word of God—alone. They would point Catholics (and other readers) to Christ and His finished work on the Cross. They would tell Catholics that the Lord God looks upon a repentant heart and not fleshly works for salvation. They would exhort them to focus their full attention upon Spirit-led holy living while awaiting the return of King Jesus—and NOT fixate on Roman Catholic Mysticism and other bizarre endtime teachings contrary to the Scripture.

But instead of remaining within biblical parameters, these PPP leaders have vainly chosen to scour the murky Vatican archives and recorded tradition for secret clues that might help to identify the False Prophet (or even the Antichrist) of Revelation. The Bible has not divulged these details, and it behooves us not to venture outside the confines of Holy Scripture.

As a terribly confused, lost Catholic, I found not only salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, but life-changing hope (here and now)—through the written Word of God. As Christians, the focal point of our faith is Christ, not Antichrist (or the False Prophet). What good is it to know frightening and detailed apocalyptic scenarios of the coming end without the saving hope of Jesus Christ?[16]

THE TRUTH about Fatima and Mary:The late Ed Tarkowski, a former Roman Catholic, wrote extensively about the Marian apparitions, particularly the The Lady of Fatima and how it was adversely influencing biblical eschatology. In his series titled The Lady Of The Apocalypse: Comparison: The Original Words Of Fatima vs. God's Holy Word, he described the difference between Mary in the Bible, and the Lady of Fatima:Mary: The Mother Of JesusGod knew Mary's heart when He called her to bring His Son into the world. In a study of the Mary of the Bible, we see that she remained in line with the word of God. She knew the Old Testament Scriptures and their promises of a Messiah. Even at the Annunciation, Mary's initial encounter with God, she was able to respond, "Let it done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38, RSV). Later, when she was greeted by Elizabeth, her response was again in accord with Scripture: her Magnificat consists largely of Old Testament verses.

Mary's responses and actions were consistent with the word of God. She knew who she was in relation to God, and it was her trust in His word, and her sure foundation of faith, which brought her such blessings.

The Lady Of Fatima: 1917But there are some who have given Mary that which is God's. They've built up through the centuries "another Mary," a Mary not found in Scripture. Today, many are drawn to this "Mary" through the Lady of Fatima, whose publicity has spilled over from the Catholic Church into secular, New Age, and even evangelical circles. As a result, the character of the true Mary has been buried in the millions of words which proclaim this "other Mary."

Who is this Lady of Fatima? For the sake of many who may not be familiar with the facts, a brief synopsis: in May of 1917 a beautiful lady claiming to have come from heaven appeared in Fatima, Portugal to three young children: Jacinta and Francisco Marto (7 and 8 years old) and their cousin, Lucia dos Santos (age 10). She spoke to them about her "Peace Plan from Heaven," and instructed them to tell others what they had seen and heard. She appeared six times, once a month, and her last appearance in October 1917 was accompanied by a spectacular occurrence - the "Miracle of the Sun."

Millions follow the Lady of Fatima. The Pope says he owes his life to her, and Catholic cable television extols her. Today, many expect her to perform another miracle such as the "miracle of the sun" of eighty years ago.

The Mary of Scripture cherished the Word of God in her heart, but you will see that the Lady of Fatima treats God's Word quite differently. She uses Scriptures referring to each of the three Persons of the Godhead and attributes them to herself. The comparisons in this series clearly lines up the Lady's words with those of Scripture, and clearly point out that both cannot be true.

In Part 2 of his article series, Tarkowski explained the semantic deceptions in operation:

In our study of Marian practices in the Catholic Church, one fact became apparent to us. The Word of God has been changed through additions of meaning, unscriptural assumptions, and distortion of God's facts. As a necessary result, the roles of the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are weakened. Mary is unscripturally presented, for example, as "the divine Mother,"(1) the "Hope of Sinners,"(2) and "the most faithful comfortress of sinners"(3), when, in God's facts, God is our Father (John 20:17; Romans 8:17), Jesus is our Hope (Romans 15:12; Colossians 1:27), and the Holy Spirit our Comforter (John 14:18; Acts 9:31). This distortion of Scripture in Mariology is quite clear in most cases, but because of the intricate structure of teaching built around Marian devotion over the centuries, and because of the sentimental factor at its very core, many Catholics, even those who know Scripture, cannot look it right in the eye and call it distortion. [bold added]

Endnotes:1. Thomas Horn and Cris Putnam, Preface, Petrus Romanus, Defender Publishing, Crane, MO, 2012, pg. xv. Bold added. 2. Ibid. Introduction to Petrus Romanus, pp. 1-2. Bold added. 3. Graphic taken from the AquinasAndMore.com website: http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-books/our-lady-of-fatima-novena/sku/1743. 4. See the Merriam-Webster online dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canonize. 5. See: “Quantum Mysticism Goes to Market,” Herescope, June 5, 2012; http://herescope.blogspot.com/2012/06/quantum-mysticism-goes-to-market.html. 6. See: Gaylene Goodroad and Sarah H. Leslie, “The Resurrection of Pagan Gods,” Herescope, Nov. 4, 2013; http://herescope.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-resurrection-of-pagan-gods.html. 7. See Wikipedia entry on Our Lady of Fatima: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_F%C3%A1tima. See Petrus Romanus, Chapter 19, pp. 451-464.
See the Wikipedia entry for Traditionalist Catholic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditionalist_Catholic. See also the entry for Tridentine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tridentine. 8. See the Wikipedia entry on Marian apparitions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_apparition. Note this excerpt: "The visions of the Virgin Mary appearing to three shepherd children at Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal in 1917 were declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church in 1930. Five popes — Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI — have supported the Fátima messages as supernatural. John Paul II was particularly attached to Fátima and credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life after he was shot in Rome on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fátima in May 1981. He donated the bullet that wounded him on that day to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima. Benedict XVI, on May 13, 2010, prayed and gave the second Golden Rose to Our Lady of Fátima and also pronounced in front of more than 500,000 pilgrims a reference to the Fátima prophecy about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 1925, eight years after the Fátima events, Sister Lúcia reported another set of apparitions, which became known as the Pontevedra apparitions. Also Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar reported several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary (following the Our Lady of Fátima request of World Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary)." See also Francis X. Rocca, “Venerating Fatima statue, pope entrusts world to Mary,” The Georgia Bulletin, Catholic News Service, Oct. 24, 2013: http://georgiabulletin.org/news/2013/10/venerating-fatima-statue-pope-entrusts-world-to-mary/. See also The Fatima Statue website: http://www.thefatimastatue.org/about-the-statue/authenticity-and-verification. Note this excerpt: "This statue is an official International Pilgrim Virgin statue. The United Nations International Pilgrim Statue meets approval of all statues of the *World Apostolate of Fatima as a public international association of the faithful, according to canons 298-320 and 327-329 of the Code of Canon Law. The approval of the statues of this association duly authenticated by the Dicastery and deposited in its Achieves, for a period of five years ad experimentum. (Vatican City, 7 October 2005, Memory of the Blessed Mary Virgin of the Rosary). Pontificium Constilium Pro Laitcis." 10. See the Fatima Network online: http://www.fatima.org/whyfatima.aspx. Note this excerpt from the website: “4. WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA REQUEST? At Fatima Our Lady said that God wished to establish in the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said that many souls would be saved from Hell and the annihilation of nations averted if, in time, devotion to Her Immaculate Heart were established principally by these two means: 1) the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Pope together with the world's bishops in a solemn public ceremony, and (2) the practice or receiving Holy Communion (and other specific devotions of about 1/2 hour in duration) in reparation for the sins committed against the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the first Saturdays of five consecutive months--a practice known to Catholics as ‘the First Saturday’ devotion.” See also the Wikipedia entry on the Immaculate Heart of Mary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Heart_of_Mary. See also the Rosary-Center.Org, “Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary”: http://www.rosary-center.org/consecrt.htm. 11. See the International Fatima Statue website – the Official Website of the United Nations Pilgrim Statue: http://www.thefatimastatue.org/about-the-statue/history-of-the-statue. See also the Message link on the website: http://www.thefatimastatue.org/about-fatima/the-message. Note this excerpt: The United Nations International Pilgrim Statue and reliquary have traveled the world under permission of the World Apostolate of Fatima and Vatican approval. Thousands of faithful have discovered the story, miracle and healing power of these treasured pieces. 12. See Evelyn Macairan, “Our Lady of Fatima Statue Trapped in Samar,” The Philippian Star, Nov. 10, 2013: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/11/10/1255014/our-lady-fatima-statue-trapped-samar. 13. Graphic is taken from The Catholic Sun blog. See Janet LaPlante, “Our Lady of Fatima for our time,” The Catholic Sun, Sept. 23, 2013: http://www.catholicsun.org/2013/09/25/our-lady-of-fatima-for-our-time/. Note the caption that appears beneath the photo: “A statue of Our Lady of Fatima is carried during a candlelight vigil at the shrine in Fatima, Portugal, Oct. 12, 2007. An estimated 300,000 pilgrims converged in Fatima to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the first apparition of Mary to three shepherd children in 1917. A new, modern church was also dedicated at the shrine.” (This exhibit is credited to CNS photo/Nacho Doce, Reuters) 14. See Petrus Romanus, Section Three: “Doctrines, Dogmas, Supernaturalism, and the End Times” - Ch. 13: “Priestcraft, Sacraments, and Sorcery,” pp. 293-319 and Ch. 14: “The Occult Queen of Heaven,” pp. 321-342. 15. See the back cover of Petrus Romanus. 16. See “The Rise of Apocalyptic Paganism in the Church,” Herescope, May 7, 2013: http://herescope.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-rise-of-apocalyptic-paganism-in.html. *Ed Tarkowski wrote concerning the meaning of this graphic. NOTE: Many followers of the Lady of Fatima use and support the writings of St. Louis de Montfort. In his booklet, The Secret of Mary, an anonymous editor comments: "The Saint does not mean that one is obliged to follow his plan of Spiritual Life in order to be saved, for in his Treatise on the True Devotion to Mary, which is a development of The Secret of Mary, he explicitly says that we can attain divine union by other roads, but that his method, is an EASY, SHORT, PERFECT AND SECURE WAY that leads us to union with our Lord" (p.7). But Jesus' claim to be THE way was absolute; no one can come to the Father except by Him.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Evanscandal

“My attorneys continue to advise me not to discuss this suit with othersnor to make any statements to news mediaabout the allegations brought against me and others.I have followed their advice and intend tocontinue to follow it through the duration of this suit."[1]

"I continually operated with a self-preservation mindsetthat influenced how I pastored and led others."[2]

1. An evangelical leader - caught in a scandal, sinful or illegal action, public disgrace, offensive conduct, shameful behavior, "defraudings,"[5] or any other opprobrious deportment - who engages in cover-up, "spin," denials, blasting critics, shifting blame, implausible deniability, harassing victims, counter-attacks, accusations, theological twistings, arguments over minutiae, obfuscation, hiding evidence, misleadings; and employing semantic gymnastics, righteous indignation, lying, deceiving, justifications, technical jargon, outright vengeance, and other similar methods. 2. An evangelical leader who commits such actions and gets caught, who resorts to marketing strategies to restore ("spin") his/her tarnished image. Such marketing methods include hiring a public relations firm, lawyers and press agents; enlisting radio talk show hosts, publishers, media outlets, writers, and big name leaders in the "evangelical industrial complex"[6]; and engaging friends, buddies, colleagues, and associates to speak favorably about him/her - all engaged in damage control and the restoration of his/her shattered public image. Such leaders, using these tactics, try to "get away with it" with as little
collateral damage as possible. 3. An evangelical leader who commits such actions and gets caught, who believes that he/she is "basically good but just flubbed up a bit," and who depends on the whole "Oops!" episode "blowing over quickly" so that they can just get on with their ministry/business. Such leaders often operate out of multiple corporate structures, which enables them to sidestep the controversy and continue on in equally profitable ventures as though nothing happened. 4. An evangelical leader who commits such actions and gets caught, who fails to acknowledge sin or admit wrongdoing, refuses to name the sin, does not express true contrition, avoids public expression of repentance, and neglects to perform restitution wherever and however possible - but, rather, issues a press release with sweeping blanket statements designed to minimize the impact, trivialize the issue(s), sweep everything under the carpet, and superficially appear to be sorry. Such leaders heavily depend upon "evangullibility" so that they can continue on as before without any serious or long-lasting negative consequences.

"For I acknowledge my transgressions:and my sin is ever before me.Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned,and done this evil in Thy sight:that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest,and be clear when Thou judgest....Create in me a clean heart, O God;and renew a right spirit within me."(Psalm 51: 3-4,10)

"If I was the head of an organization where this kind of behaviorhad been taking place for years,even though if I didn't actually perform this kind of behavior,even if I didn't even know about the behavior,the only thing I would say is 'I'm sick.I'm sorry.I will do whatever I need to do to help the victims and their families,'..."[7]

Monday, May 19, 2014

A Second Pentecost?

“Could the world experience a second Pentecost?That’s the hope of a
global movement called Empowered 21,with organizers setting their
sights on Jerusalem,where the first Pentecost took place.”–Charisma magazine, 4/1/14

The leaders of international Pentecostalism are moving toward a repeat of the first Pentecost. This worldwide “convergence,” as they call it, is called Empowered 21 (E21),[1] as you can see in the CBN News report HERE.

There already have been worldwide regional meetings to prepare for a Pentecost repeat in Jerusalem on Pentecost Sunday 2014. They expect tens of thousand of the worldwide Pentecostal faithful to attend. Even as the first Pentecost included many Jewish faithful of the Jewish diaspora in the Roman Empire gathered in Jerusalem on the feast day of Pentecost, now international Pentecostalism will converge in Jerusalem.

My Plumbline newsletter readers will take note that the international steering committee includes two current Latter-Rain celebrities, namely “prophetess/apostlette” Cindy Jacobs and “apostle” Bill Johnson, who’re both closely aligned with the New Apostolic Reformation. General secretary George Wood of the AOG is a co-chair.

“It’s amazing to see how many wonderful leaders God has raised up to partner with this goal of seeing every individual touched by a real encounter with the Holy Spirit by the year 2033. It’s stunning,” Bill Johnson, from Bethel Church, said.Oral Roberts University President Billy Wilson, director of E21, spoke at a recent event for global movement.“Tonight we stand on history and we come to worship the King of Jerusalem who is our Lord Jesus,” Wilson said.“Our big, big vision is bigger than all of us. It comes out of Habakkuk 2:14 that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.”

In this issue of Plumbline, I will try and give a “cliff notes for dummies” version of the essentials of a Second Latter Rain Pentecost. That is because the current Latter-Rain leaders have so purposefully muddied the waters that only those who are dedicated history buffs can discern the historical essentials behind the current teaching on a Second Pentecost eschatology. ACTUALLY, only insiders know the Latter Rain playbook, and they cover it up and pawn if off as a new revelation with a new name. No! the Latter Rain has been around since the early days of 20th century.[2]

Actually, the hope of a “Second Pentecost “ at the end of this age was the stated intention of the first Pentecostal leaders when the Pentecostal movement was birthed at Azusa Street in California in the first years of the 20th century. However, after about ten years, around 1910, these Pentecostals scrapped this hope of a second Pentecost at the end of age and returned to the then current end time teaching of a premillennial return of Christ. They apparently were satisfied with the teaching of a post conversion Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.

HistoryThe Latter Rain Evangel (LRE)[3] was published monthly by the Stone Church, the significant early Pentecostal congregation in Chicago founded by William Hamner Piper.[4] The Stone Church hosted the second General Council of the Assemblies of God in November 1914 as well as the 1919 General Council.The LRE is an important source for early Pentecostal theological articles, news, missionary letters, and revival reports. The periodical reprinted many early Pentecostal leaders’ sermons delivered at the Stone Church. Anna C. Reiff was the longtime editor of the magazine.[5] It ceased publication with the June 1939 issue, merging with The Gospel Call published by the Russian and Eastern European Mission.[6]

In the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s the new Pentecostal movement progressed but without the original “Second Pentecost” teaching of the movement’s first founders. This continued and was status quo until the early ‘50s when the original hope of a Second Pentecost—just prior to the return of Christ—was re-announced to the Pentecostal world. In the late ‘40s, a new Pentecostal movement appeared and re-issued the original claim of an end time Second Pentecost. In that revival, that began in Canada, it was proclaimed to the Pentecostal Movement that the bedrock teaching of Azusa Street (which had been buried and deferred) was now being re-announced to the Pentecostal world. This return to the original teaching of the first Pentecostals became known as the “New Order of Latter Rain.” The early mission at Azusa had been named the “New Order of the Latter Rain” as well the apostolic mission. Lets explain this term “the Latter Rain.”

The Latter-RainLatter Rain was an allegorical/symbolic and a new template for the church age derived from the early and latter rains of the growing season in Palestine. These early rains were for planting barley and then, after a long period of no rain, the latter rains came and filled out the barley and prepared it for the end of season harvest. This simple reference to the seasonal rains of Palestine was lifted from its Old Testament context during the last years of the 1800s and pressed into service as an allegory and paradigm for the history of the church age. This of course is an illegitimate way to handle scripture. But it was used nevertheless. The early Palestinian rains were symbolized by the first Pentecost and the latter rains were seen as a Second Pentecost just prior to the end time harvest of souls and the return of Christ. However, this original Latter Rain “Second Pentecost” teaching was put on hold for a number of years. It was left for the “New Order of the LatterRain” (NOLR) in Canada 50 years later to reclaim this historical paradigm of the church age which effectually repudiated the premillennial teaching of the previous years.

The Latter Rain movement of the mid-century added a number of new teachings to the Latter Rain of the Azusa Street:

A restored order of apostles and prophets who were to govern the last days church with ongoing extra-biblical revelations.

This Latter Rain last generation church was tasked to give birth to a new-breed of mature believers who will conquer all demons and every enemy of God. This new breed will also finally defeat death itself. These “Manifest Sons of God” will also take dominion over the whole earth, judge all sinners and establish the “New Jerusalem” upon the earth.

These Latter Rain believers will receive a “spiritual second coming” of Jesus who will be incarnated into their “many-membered” body of believers. This spiritual return of Jesus will be birthed by the body of Christ. The current Latter-Rain faithful will be impregnated with Jesus and this endtime church will give birth to a spiritual return of Jesus to his many-membered body. This is crassly (and erroneously) based on the “birth of a manchild” of Revelation. The church will become an end time “Mary” to birth the spiritual return of Jesus. This will make it unnecessarily for Jesus to return bodily from heaven. There is a difference of opinion, and some Latter Rain teachers believe Jesus will return from heaven at the end of all these things.

George Warnock, a Latter Rain worker while still in Canada during the mid-century Latter Rain “revival,” wrote a systematic New Order of the Latter Rain theology. His book is called The Feast of Tabernacles.[7] This is actually another symbolic allegorical presentation. Warnock summarized this theology as Passover, Pentecost and a (now to be fulfilled) Feast of Tabernacles to typify the whole church age. Beginning with the Feast of Passover, representing the death of Jesus, the Feast of Pentecost typified the birth of the church, and the future Feast of Tabernacles points to the so-called Latter Rain “Second Pentecost” at the close of the church age.

This concept fits nicely with the early and later rains and harvest, etc. This teaching of the fulfilled Feast of Tabernacles is simply an overlaid allegory and symbolism. The Latter Rain cult believes the endtimes Feast of Tabernacles will culminate with a mature (perfected) body that will be in-filled with a spiritual incarnation of Jesus into their corporate body. This is a Gnostic belief in a spiritual return of Jesus into his body. In this spiritual return of Jesus the perfected body will become one with Christ and become one substance with Christ. Christ incarnated into this body is the whole body of Christ. They teach the heresy that these elite, perfected and matured “Sons of God” then corporately become God every bit as much as Christ is God.

But once again, in the 1950s, many Pentecostal believers rebelled at this obvious false teaching. The Assemblies of God met and repudiated the NOLR in the ‘50s. Also, about this time, William Branham, who initiated this Latter-Rain by his impartation with his laying on hands, died suddenly in a car accident. Books could be written of the many weird and bizarre teachings, and obvious clairvoyant ministry, of William Branham. (You’ll find a number of these teachings by this false prophet listed HERE.) This event caused the Latter Rain teaching to apparently fail in the mid ‘50s. It in effect went underground.

Another Return of the Latter RainBut a few ministers who had been a part of this Latter Rain at mid-century survived and entered unnoticed into the Charismatic Renewal some years later. Bill Hamon and Ern Baxter brought Latter Rain teachings secretly and in piecemeal fashion into the theological fog the Charismatic Renewal engendered. Earl Paulk also brought Latter-Rain teaching back further.

In more recent times the teachers included the Kansas City Prophets of Paul Cain (a disciple of William Branham, and now sidelined because of homosexual problems) and the recently-deceased Bob Jones (who was disciplined for sexual matters in his prophetic “ministry”). The Toronto Blessing (hysterical laughing), Mike Bickle’s IHOP movement, and C. Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation—all are a return of the Latter Rain doctrines. These movements are busy restoring more Latter-Rain cult ideas. But they deny all any connection to the New Order of the Latter-Rain of the mid-century. Nevertheless. they teach Latter-Rain ideas again with new labels.

They essentially have re-branded the Latter-Rain. The spiritual return of Jesus is now called “The Presence” or the “Glory,” etc.

They speak openly of the fulfilling the “Feast of Tabernacles.” They teach a church that will conquer the Anti-Christ. The maturing and perfection teaching of the Latter-Rain is called now called “100% obedience.“ by Mike Bickle. In his Song of Solomon allegory, Christ the Bridegroom is now romancing the bride, etc.

There is so much more that can be said but it is too complicated for this basic introduction. But I have only tried give a bird’s eye view and simplified summary of the new eschatology of the Latter-Rain since Azusa, though the Latter Rain of the mid-century, and to the present. Latter Rain teaching is alive and well but it is disguised and cleverly renamed. Apostles and prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation (a la “apostle” C, Peter Wagner) receive new revelations that symbolize the Old Testament much like the early and latter rains of the Palestine growing season. Latter-Rain teachers deceptively represent the current expression of a spiritual return of Jesus and simply call it “The Presence.” There is a flood of new prophetic revelations which tends to overlay and cover the basic Latter Rain endtime “Second Pentecost” teaching.

The current E21 movement, described at the beginning of this article, is of a worldwide Pentecostal ecumenism, built around another Pentecost in Jerusalem. It flows right into a drift of all Pentecostals back to Latter Rain eschatology. In fact there is wide ferment among traditional AOG people for a release from Dispensational eschatology. Even former General Superintendent of the AOG Trask told a pastors group (off the record) that the AOG missed it the first time in Canada and we should not miss it this time around.

Oh! It would never be called the Latter Rain. But Prophetess Cindy Jacobs and Bill Johnson are Latter Rain pure and simple, but operating with a re-branded version of a “Second Pentecost.” Bill Johnson’s book When Heaven Invades Earth is Latter-Rain in essence.[8] But who today knows what the Latter-Rain is or was? This includes most Pentecostal pastors. But there are those who use the Latter Rain playbook, and like NFL coaches on the sidelines, hide the playbook from prying eyes.

If you want a more detailed account please go read an earlier article I wrote in 2000 called A Second Pentecost?

*Re-edited and reprinted with permission of author. This version is republished and slightly modified for blog posting with the permission of Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries, where the revised original is posted HERE. The Apprising version includes Empower 21 footage that can be viewed.

About Me

Check your daily "HERESCOPE." Herescope is an online journal revealing heresies and false teachings affecting the church today. Copyright 2005-2017 held by the author, IRG, Inc., or Discernment Ministries, Inc. unless otherwise noted. Herescope is a term coined by Lynn Leslie literally meaning "scoping out a heresy." Herescope began as a regular magazine column in The Christian Conscience magazine published during 1995-1998 by IRG, Inc. The Discernment Research Group is an ad hoc fellowship of Christian researchers with roots dating back to 1985. For more articles, books, and newsletters go to http://www.discernment-ministries.org.